ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY EMPLOYMENT EQUITY STRATEGY
4.5 EThekwini Municipality Workforce Profile
This chapter provides information about the state of the workforce in all job levels before the employment equity plan (2009-2013) was implemented.
The Municipality had a total of 19 631 employees at the beginning of the employment equity plan in 2009. A total of 19 431 were permanently employed while 200 were temporary employees. Employees with disability accounted for 184 of the total employees employed by the municipality. All employees with a disability were employed permanently.
The research looks into the actual job levels to ascertain the racial and gender distribution.
This is imperative as it would provide a scope of decision making and non-decision making positions. It is said that many organisations populated the lower levels with employees from previously disadvantaged employees so as to project a balanced workforce on paper.
36 4.5.1 Top Management
Table 4.5 was adopted from the 2009 employment equity plan. It shows the percentage distribution of employees in terms of race at the top management level.
Table 4.5 EThekwini Municipality Top Management Profile TOP MANAGEMENT: GRADES 19 TO 25 (LEVEL 1)
WHITE COLOURED INDIAN BLACK FEMALE MALE
CURRENT PROFILE
29% 4% 27% 40% 21% 79%
MINIMUM – FIVE YEAR TARGET
15% 2% 22% 61% 32% 68%
DEMOGRAPHICS IN DME
9% 2% 19% 70% 50% 50%
LABOUR TURNOVER
15% 2% 5% 3% 3% 21%
Source: EThekwini Employment Equity Plan, 2009
Top management has seen changes as Black employees are 40% placing them above Whites 29%, Indians 27% and Coloureds 4%. This is not an ideal situation as Table 4.5 indicates the eThekwini population is made up of 70% Blacks followed by Indians at 19%. The ideal situation would mean Blacks needs to be closer to at least 65%. Transformation of the top management level is necessary as more Blacks needs to be employed. The Indian (19%) and White (29%) population needs to be reduced to 19% and 9% respectively for equity to take place.
In terms of Gender distribution, female employees are at 21% while their male counterparts are at 79% which is 58% more than female. Table 4.5 indicates that a 50% split between male and female is necessary for equity to correctly reflect the demographics. This means that the municipality needs to employ more female employees. It seems possible to increase the number of female at this job level as the male labour turn-over rate is at 21% while female turn-over-rate is at 3%. The high rate of males exiting the organization translates to an
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increased opportunity to employ more females particularly Black. The emphasis should be in replacing White males with Black females. The replacement of white males with African females will increase not only the number of females but also of Black employees in this job level.
4.5.2 Senior Management
Table 4.6 represents the racial distribution of employees at a senior management level as at 2009. The table shows percentages of all racial groups inclusive of people with disabilities.
Table 4.6 EThekwini Municipality Senior Management Profile SENIOR MANAGEMENT: GRADES 16 TO 18 (LEVEL 2)
WHITE COLOURED INDIAN BLACK FEMALE MALE CURRENT
PROFILE 36% 4% 37% 24% 21% 79%
MINIMUM – 5
YEAR TARGET 25% 2% 31% 42% 32% 68%
DEMOGRAPHICS
IN DME 9% 2% 19% 70% 50% 50%
LABOUR
TURNOVER 11% 2% 6% 5% 1% 22%
Source: eThekwini Employment Equity Plan, 2009
The Senior Management level is dominated by the Indian population at 37% followed closely by White employees who accounts for 36% in the senior management level. The over representation of both Indian and White employees is 73%. The percentage of the Black employees at this job level is 24%. The municipality needs to do more work in this area in terms of employing more Blacks. The minimum target of 68% for male employees is questionable as the male demographic for eThekwini municipality is 50%. This simple means that the females are set at 32% minimum target for the duration of the plan. The projected minimum targets are not in favour of female employees and are not helping Employment Equity.
The labour turn-over rate for the White population is 11%. This is the highest exit percentage in the job category in terms of race as Indians are at 6%, Blacks 5% and Coloureds 2%. The labour turn-over of the Blacks is the course for concern as it is at 5% yet more Blacks needs
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to be employed in order to bring about equity in this job level. The turn-over rate of 11% for Whites and 6% for Indians could help speed up the equity process.
The gender demographics were not encouraging as the overall female population at this level was another concern. The female population was 26% while male population was 79%. It appeared that eThekwini top and senior management required more gender transformation.
The ideal situation in both levels was said to be a 50% split between the male and female.
The 22% male turn-over rate can assist to correct the situation if all recruitment processes are managed properly.
4.5.3 Middle Management
Table 4.7 contains job profile for the middle management for 2009. It appears that more female employees need to be employed into middle management positions.
Table 4.7 EThekwini Municipality Middle Management Profile
FiPROFESIONALLY QUALIFIED & EXPERIENCED SPECIALISTS MIDDLE MANAGEMENT: GRADE 14 TO 15 (LEVEL 3)
WHITE COLOURED INDIAN BLACK FEMALE MALE CURRENT
PROFILE 33% 3% 35% 28% 27% 73%
MINIMUM – 5
YEAR TARGET 21% 2% 27% 50% 37% 63%
DEMOGRAPHICS
IN DME 9% 2% 19% 70% 50% 50%
LABOUR
TURNOVER 12% 1% 8% 8% 5% 24%
Source: EThekwini Employment Equity Plan, 2009
The middle management job level is not different from the two management levels discussed above (Table 4.7) in terms of racial distribution. The female employees are recorded at 27%
compared to 73% of the male employees. This results to a 46% difference between the gender groups across racial line in this job level.
The minority population groups (Indian and Whites) dominated this job level with 35% and 33% respectively. The percentage of the Black population within the eThekwini municipality area is 70% yet the municipality employed 28% of Blacks in the middle management level.
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On the other hand the Coloured employees are at 3% of the employees in this job level. The percentage of coloureds is line with the demographic target.
The municipality therefore needs to increase the recruitment of Blacks. The increase of Black employee will see the reduction of whites and Indians in this job category. It will therefore bring equity in the workforce demographics.
The female employees are at 27% in this job level while the male employees are over represented at 73%. There is an opportunity for the demographics to correct themselves as the male turn-over rate is 24%. If eThekwini municipality follows all due processes aimed at discouraging discrimination and implemented affirmative action.
4.5.4 Junior Management
The Black population led in this job level by 44% followed by Indian population at 33%.
This job level was not different from the other job levels in terms of gender distribution. The female accounted for 26% which was very low compared to 74% of male.
Table 4.8 EThekwini Municipality Junior Management Profile
SKILLED TECHNICAL & ACADEMICALLY QUALIFIED WORKERS, JUNIOR MANAGEMENT, SUPERVISORS, FOREMEN & SUPERINTENDENTS: GRADES 09 TO 13 (LEVEL 4)
WHITE COLOURED INDIAN BLACK FEMALE MALE CURRENT
PROFILE 16% 6% 33% 44% 26% 74%
MINIMUM – 5
YEAR TARGET 9% 2% 28% 61% 36% 64%
DEMOGRAPHICS
IN DME 9% 2% 19% 70% 50% 50%
LABOUR
TURNOVER 8% 4% 5% 8% 5% 20%
Source: EThekwini Employment Equity Plan, 2009
The problem in this job category is that the labour turn over for both Whites and Blacks employees is 8%. This situation is problematic as it does not help Employment Equity. This simple means that if the trend continues this way, equity will not take place. The ideal situation will be the highest percentage of white employees leaving the organisation. Fewer
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Black employees or no Black employees leaving the organisation would be useful to employment equity.
4.5.5 Supervisory Employees
The supervisory job level is an important level as most operational decisions are taken at this level.
Figure 4.9 EThekwini Municipality Supervisory Employees Profile
GENERAL SKILLED & DISCRETIONARY DECISION MAKING: GRADES 04 TO 08 WHITE COLOURED INDIAN BLACK FEMALE MALE CURRENT
PROFILE 3% 2% 28% 66% 25% 75%
MINIMUM – 5
YEAR TARGET 9% 2% 23% 70% 38% 62%
DEMOGRAPHICS
IN DME 9% 2% 19% 70% 50% 50%
LABOUR
TURNOVER 2% 1% 6% 7% 4% 12%
Source: EThekwini Employment Equity Plan, 2009
The Black population leads the job level by 66% which is closer to an ideal situation. This job level is similar to all other levels in terms of gender distribution. Male dominates with 75% and female follows with low 25%. The turnover rate of 12% for the male group does not help the process of transformation and gender equity as there is 8% gap between genders.
Female turnover rate is 4%, this is worrying as more female are leaving the organisation when in fact the opposite would have balanced the gender distribution.
This job level, unlike other job levels requires more White employees to be employed. It is good to see that Employment Equity does when necessary require the employment of other races other than Black. This goes to show that the policy is not pro-Blacks but it imposes workforce equity.
41 4.5.6 Unskilled Employees
This job level is not associated with any power. In fact this is the lowest job level in eThekwini municipality.